Matched veneer stencil



'Dec.20, 193s. F'Q BER- QN' 2,141,020

MATCHED VENEER STENC IL Filed May 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 5 F4 5a INVENTOR- 6 6 Bery'amin 6i Robertson I MNaR-M ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 20, 1938. B. G. ROBERTSON V Q ,1

MATCHEb VENEER STENCIL 2 Sheet 2 Filed y 18' 1936 NwzNm a b t E f/ n amm a1:30 er San ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATCHED VENEER STENCIL Application May 18, 1936, Serial No. 80,288

5 Claims.

This invention relates to matched veneer stencils,.tl1at is to say, stencils which are intended for .use in reproducing, on a surface to be decorated, .the appearance of matched veneer wood panels. The cutouts of such stencils are arranged to form patterns of the grain line markings contained in the matched wood veneer panels whose appear- .ance is to be simulated or reproduced.

The principal objects of the invention are: to .provide a novel method of manufacturing matched veneer stencils; to provide a method which can be readily performed to provide,.in the stencil, cutouts forming matched patterns that conform accurately to the desired design; and to produce anovel :form of stencil.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a matched veneer design that is to be reproduced;

Figure 2 is a plan view-of a prepared surface or .front on which the design of Figure 1 is to be reproduced;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

.Figure 4 .is a stencil blank partly processed .in accordance with my invention;

Figures 5 and 5a are sections taken through line .5--'5 of Figure 4 before and after one step of the process;

Figure 6 is a plan of the stencil at a later stage of the process;

Figure '7 is a plan view of the finished stencil; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail of Figure 7 to show the cutouts more clearly.

In carrying out my invention, it is, of course, necessary to provide, select or create a matched veneer design of some description, the appearance of which is to be reproduced. Such a design is shown in Figure 1. As shown, it includes a central section C and a pair of end sections one on each side of, and in matched relation with, the central section 0. The end sections E are composed of matched wood panels I of one kind of wood while the central section is composed of matched wood panels 2 of another kind of wood; hence the common boundary lines 3 between the sections are termed joint lines while the common boundary lines 4 between the panels of each section are termed match lines.

The surface, which is ultimately to be decorated with the design of Figure 1, is indicated at 5 in Figures 2 and 3. In practice, while not strictly necessary, it has been found desirable to provide the surface 5 with indentations or grooves, known as route lines, to separate sections of different kinds of wood. Accordingly the surface 5 is provided with route lines 3a over the proposed :site of the joint lines 3 for the Figure ldesign.

With the surface 5 thus prepared, a stencil blank 6 is provided as in Figure 4. Thisblank consists simply of a sheet of suitable material such as zinc or some other similar and preferably soft metal which is easily scored but which has no markings on it. The sites of both route and match lines 3c and 4 are located on the blank *6 in any suitable manner. This may be readily accomplishedby covering the surface'ii of Figure 2 with a sheet of paper and then marking the paper over the route lines 3a and, if necessary, along the margins of the'surface '5 .so as to locate the route line markings on the paper with reference'to the margins of the design. The marked paper may then be additionally marked to indicatethe sites of all match lines. With the paper so marked, it is a simple matter to center it over the blank and mark the blank through the agency of some suitable transfer medium such as carbon paper. Of course, it will be understood that the match and joint or route lines may be directly located on the blank. In any event, when the blank is provided with the necessary boundary line markings 3a and 4 as in Figure 4, such lines form a general boundary line "layout of the design and show the common limits of each section and .of each panel portion in each section.

After the layout is marked on the blank, it is, or the boundary line markings are, preferably scored in the blank in any suitable manner and by any suitable means. The scoring operation is not strictly necessary but is used because it produces unmistakable marks on the blank as shown in Figure 5 and marks that are clean whereby auxiliary boundary members I placed in the match line scores and similar members la in the joint line scores, may be readily soldered to the blank as shown in Figure 5a.

For auxiliary boundary member, suitable thin wires may be employed. These preferably are made to extend completely along the length of each boundary line. When the wires I have been soldered or otherwise firmly attached to the stencil, the layout of the design is permanently and clearly shown. The stencil may now be thoroughly cleaned of all impurities and then coated on both sides with an acid resistant, such as lacquer, care being taken to insure a continuous protective coating particularly around the auxiliary boundary members and such crevices as may exist between it and the stencil blank.

The stencil is now ready to receive the cutout patterns on each panel. While this may be variously accomplished, perhaps the simplest procedure, is to utilize a previously prepared master stencil, i. e., a stock stencil which has cutouts arranged to form a pattern of the desired grain line markings for the panels of section 0, for example, and which is large enough for use with a range of difierently sized panels. A desired panel area of the master or stock stencil is placed over a panel of section C and the cutouts of that area, which extend beyond the margins of that particular panel, are then blocked or masked. A stain may now be passed through the cutouts so as to reproduce on the lacquered surface of the panel, the particular pattern of those cutouts 8. This is, of course, repeated for each other panel in section C. a

A similar procedure may be followed for the panels of sections E. However, since the Wood of these sections, differs from that of section C, a different master or stock stencil must be em ployed to reproduce the necessary patterns 9. At any rate, all lacquered panels of the stencil blank are ultimately provided with .a visible pattern of the proper cutouts, as shown in Figure 6. This visible pattern is now scored along the margins of the cutouts to remove the lacquer or resistant and expose the metal. With the cutouts scored, the entire blank may be immersed in a suitable acid, such as hydrochloric acid, and permitted there to remain until the .acid has etched completely through the blank whereupon the blank is removed, rinsed and dried. Such cutouts as have not dropped out during the etching operation may now be mechanically removed to form the stencil shown in Figure 7. The stencil may be usedas shown but preferably is secured to or provided with a suitable supporting frame.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A method of making a matched veneer sten cil comprising marking on a stencil blank the boundary line layout of the proposed matched veneer panel portions, securing auxiliary boundary members to the blank along the boundary lines of the layout, coating the blank with a resistant, scoring the blank to outline on the panel portions thereof the cutoutsof proposed matched veneer patterns, and etching through the blank along its cutout scores with an etching material.

3. A method of making a matched veneer stencil comprising marking on the stencil blank the boundary line layout of the proposed matched veneer panel portions, scoring the boundary line layout into said blank, securing auxiliary boundary members to the blank along the scores of the boundary line layout, coating the blank with a resistant, scoring the blank to outline on the panel portions thereof the cutouts of proposed matched veneer patterns, and then etching through the blank along its cutout scores with an etching material.

4. A method of making a matched veneer stencil comprising marking on the stencil blank the boundary line layout of the proposed matched veneer panel portions, scoring the boundary line layout into said blank, securing auxiliary boundary members to the blank along the scores of the boundary line layout, coating the blank and boundary members with a resistant, scoring through the resistant coating into the blank to outline on the panel portions thereof the cutouts of proposed matched veneer patterns and then etching through the blank along its cutout scores.

5. A method of making a matched veneer stencil comprising marking on the stencil blank the boundary line layout of the proposed matched veneer panel portions, scoring the boundary line layout into said blank, securing wires to the blank along the scores of the boundary line layout, cleaning the blank, coating the cleaned blank with a resistant, spraying a material on the coating of said blank through master stencil openings to outline on the panel portions thereof the cutouts of proposed matched veneer patterns, 1

BENJAIVHN G. ROBERTSON. 

